Revenge
by Nay09
Summary: After a strangely easy Monet Theft, Neal finds himself kidnapped. Who kidnapped him? And why? And yes, there will def be Neal Whumpage, because who doesn't love a good Neal whumpage story?  Rated T, just to be safe!
1. Tripped

Hey everyone! This is my first White Collar fic! Wahoo! Recently fell in love with White Collar, and decided to dabble in writing a fic for it! I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! J But I do own my OC's.

Summary: After a strangely easy Monet Theft, Neal finds himself kidnapped. Who kidnapped him? And why? And yes, there will def be Neal Whumpage. I mean, who doesn't love a good Neal whumpage story? J Set during the 2nd half of Season 2 Rated T, just to be safe, I mean this is a whumpage story after all lol!

Revenge

Chapter 1: Tripped

Neal Caffrey, con-man turned FBI consultant, sighed. He looked up at the stars, shining in the blackish night sky. He stared at them, thinking back to the stolen Monet case he and Peter had just finished. He couldn't understand how Burton thought that he was going to get away with it. His prints were all over the scene, and trying to fence the product not even 24 hours after he stole it was a dead giveaway. They had cornered his fence and she'd cut a deal, leading them straight to him.

Neal had been too busy, lost inside his own mind, to see the huge root sticking out. He tripped, falling face first onto the grass, a surprised gasp escaping his lips. He groaned, rolling over and sitting up. He looked at the root, silently cursing at himself for being so stupid, as his phone began buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out, not bothering to look at the caller id., and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Caffrey, where are you?" Came the reply.

"Inside my two mile radius, Peter." Neal replied, standing up.

"Actually, you're not." Neal looked down at the anklet on his left leg, silently cursing when he saw the normally green light, red. "Like I said, where are you?"

"Look, I was walking in the park when I…" He trailed off, not wanting to continue.

"When you what?" Peter pushed.

"Tripped over a root and fell, apparently, out of my radius." He explained, embarrassment evident in his tone.

"You tripped?" Peter asked, unable to hide his amusement. Neal sighed.

"Yes, I tripped." Peter laughed. "Laugh it up, Pe-" Neal cut off, something hard connecting with the back of his skull. He slumped to the ground, his vision blurring.

"Neal? Neal!" He could hear Peter yelling from his phone. He gazed upward, seeing a blurry figure grab him and hoist him to his feet. He tried to concentrate on seeing his attacker's face, when a fist came at him, hitting him square in the jaw and sending him into unconsciousness.

Authors Note: Sorry for the shortness! I promise to update soon! I hope you enjoyed the first chap! Please review and let me know what you thought! I'd love to know that ppl are reading!


	2. Offline

Holy cow! Thanks sooo much everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You all made my week! I'm so excited about this story! I will def post at least 1 new chap a week! So here's one for this week.. WC finale tomorrow! L I'm excited for the eppy, but then again, I don't want it to be over… Enough of my rambling now, lol! Enjoy the chap.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! J But I do own my OC's.

Chapter 2: Offline

Peter was almost home, when Jones called him, telling him that Neal had gone out of his radius. Peter cursed, telling Jones that he'd find him. He hung up with Jones and dialed Neal, hoping he would pick up.

"Hello?"

"Caffrey, where are you?" He asked, glad that Neal had sense enough to answer his phone.

"Inside my two mile radius, Peter." Came Neal's reply. Peter noticed something a little off about him, but decided to ignore it.

"Actually, you're not." He heard Neal shuffling around and then a few choice words. "Like I said, where are you?"

"Look, I was walking in the park, when I…." Neal trailed off. Peter waited for a second, waiting for him to continue, only to realize that he wasn't going to.

"When you what?"

"Tripped over a root and fell, apparently, out of my radius." Peter smiled, he could hear the embarrassment throughout Neal's voice.

"You tripped?" He asked, not being able to hide how much that fact amused him. He could just picture Neal tripping and falling on his face.

"Yes, I tripped." Neal replied, annoyance in his tone. Peter laughed, unable to keep it in anymore. "Laugh it up, Pe-" Neal cut off, and Peter heard something hit the ground. Peter thought Neal might have tripped again, but when he didn't hear him anymore, he began to get worried.

"Neal?" He asked, getting no reply. "Neal!" He yelled, his heart pounding faster. He heard some rustling and then a grunt as the line went dead.

Peter quickly hung up, dialing him again, the call going straight to voicemail. "Damnit!" Peter yelled, hanging up and dialing the US Marshalls.

"US Marshalls, how can I help you?" Came a female voice.

"Agent Peter Burke, FBI. I need tracking details on tracker 9305 Alpha, Neal Caffrey."

"Tracker 9305 Alpha just went offline Agent Burke. Do you need assistance?"

"No." Peter replied, a sense of dread washing over him. He knew Neal was in trouble. "I do need his recent tracking information sent to my computer though.""Right away Agent Burke." She replied.

"Thanks." He hung up, quickly dialing Jones and turning his car around, heading back to FBI Headquarters.

AN: Sorry, I know it's short again, sorry! But I wanted to tell Peter's side. Hope you all enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you thought! Enjoy the finale tomorrow!


	3. Remember me?

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You're amazing!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! J But I do own my OC's.

Chapter 3: Remember Me?

Neal's head was throbbing, an indication that he was waking up. He slowly opened his eyes, quickly shutting them as light pierced them and he suddenly felt nauseous. He heard something that sounded like a groan, finally realizing that it came from him.

"I think I heard something." A rough, deep voice said. Neal noticed a slight familiarity in it. He heard heavy footsteps coming closer to him. Neal kept his eyes closed, not wanting to let them know he was, indeed conscious. Plus, if he opened his eyes he wasn't sure if he could keep the contents he'd eaten today, inside him stomach.

All of a sudden he felt someone slap his face, causing his head to jerk to the side. He bit his tongue, trying to keep up his façade.

"See? He's still out. You clocked him hard enough." A new voice, one with arrogance in it, said.

"Good, I'm not exactly read for him to be conscious yet. I've still got some things to set up." The deep voice said. Neal could hear the heavy footsteps once again, this time, walking away from him. "You ready on your end, Jim?"

"Yeah, hooked up, right to the FBI's headquarters." Jim replied. Neal's heartbeat sped up. "Why would something be connected to the headquarters?" He thought. He groaned once again, as he felt a particularly nasty throb inside his skull.

"There it is again." The voice said, a thundering of footsteps heading towards him. Neal felt his head get jerked back, he opened his eyes as a surprised gasp escaped his lips. Neal quickly shut his eyes, trying to block out the light.

"Open your eyes!" The arrogant voice, Jim, Neal reminded himself, yelled. Neal opened his eyes, seeing a huge, bulky man with dark black hair staring at him.

"Faking unconsciousness isn't very nice, Mr. Caffrey." The man from across the room said. Neal looked over towards him, not being able to see, since Jim was still holding him by his head.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Neal asked, glaring at Jim, since he really was the only thing Neal could see.

"Don't you recognize me, Caffrey? The man asked, amusement in his voice.

"Sorry, can't see you though the big oaf here." Neal replied. Jim let go of his head, punching him in the gut. Neal doubled over, gasping for breath.

"Now Jim, that's no way to treat our guest." The man said, walking over to them. He grabbed Neal's shoulders, forcing him to sit up and look directly at him. "Recognize me now?" Neal looked at him, his face familiar, but he just couldn't place it. The man laughed. "Drawing a blank huh? Must be the concussion doing it to you. Maybe this will jog your memory." Neal closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to come, only, none came.

Neal opened his eyes to see a painting in front of him. He tried to reach out to it, only to find that his hands were chained to a chair that he was sitting in. He glanced down at his feet, seeing that his anklet was gone, and that his ankles were chained to the chair as well. He wondered how he didn't notice them before, or the fact that he was sitting in a chair. "Has to be the concussion." He thought, quickly scanning the room. He saw that the only way out was a door, that was being blocked by a bunch of equipment.

"Well?" The man asked, shaking Neal out of his thoughts. Neal looked at the painting, realizing it was a Monet. "The stolen Monet." His mind corrected. He winced as his memory returned to him.

"Burton." Neal said, recognizing the man now.

"Ahh, so you _do_ remember." Burton said, a smile crossing his face.

"It's hard not to remember someone who made it so _easy_ to catch himself." Neal replied, the smile dropping from Burton's face. Burton's fist shot upward, hitting Neal under the chin, causing his head to jerk backward.

"Did you ever think, that maybe, just maybe, I _wanted_ to be caught?" Burton asked. Neal looked at him, confusion spreading across his face. "Come on Caffrey, what kind of Con-man leaves a bunch of prints behind, and fences a product he stole, right way?" Neal just stares at him. "I _knew_ you'd be put on the case, and I _knew_ that you'd catch me. I mean, hell, I made it pretty damn easy." Burton grabbed Neal's face, looking him directly in the eyes. "And now, Neal Caffrey, I've got you right where I want you."

Any ideas on why Burton wanted to be caught? Or why he wanted Neal? PS, Can't believe there is no new White Collar tonight… So depressing.. Any ideas on who put the treasure in that room? I've heard a lot of theories


	4. MY Maria

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You're amazing!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: So, I wrote some more today and decided to post this chap! Enjoy! Don't forget to press that little review button below and let me know what you thought!

Chapter 4: MY Maria

Peter raced into the FBI Headquarters. Quickly going to the conference room, where he saw Jones, Diana, and Huges waiting for him. He was glad to see them, especially this late at night.

"What's going on Peter?" Huges asked, as Peter walked into the conference room.

"Neal's been kidnapped." Peter answered, looking at the shocked faces of Diana and Jones. He didn't have a chance to fill Jones in on the phone, he just told him to get Diana and Huges to Headquarters ASAP.

"Are you sure he didn't just run?" Huges asked. Peter turned to glare at him.

"Neal didn't run. I was on the phone with him when it happened. I heard something hard hit the ground, then a grunt and then the line went dead." He looked at Reese. "He didn't run. He _wouldn't_,not after everything." Huges looked at him, and then slowly nodded.

"Okay, so who do you think took him?"

"No idea. It could be someone from his past, or someone from one of the cases we've worked." Peter replied.

"Diana, get me every file we have on Caffrey, and all the files that he and Peter have worked on since he's been here." Huges said, looking at Diana. She nodded, heading out the door.

"It could also be someone from our pasts too, using Caffrey to get to one of us." Jones suggested.

"True.. But let's just focus on Neal's enemies first." Peter replied. Jones nodded, looking at Huges.

"Now what do we do?"

"Now, we wait, and see if the kidnappers send a ransom or anything. In the meantime, we start going through the files, try to find any information on who could have Caffrey." Huges said, turning and heading out of the conference room.

"Where are you, Neal?" Peter asked aloud. He was worried, and he felt helpless. He hated not being able to doing anything to help Neal, especially when he had no idea who had him, or if he was even okay.

"Stop!" Neal cried out, pain shooting throughout his ribs, thanks to Jim. Jim had been using Neal's ribcage as a punching bag. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, looking at Burton.

"Because, you took someone very special away from me." Burton replied, going over and grabbing something off of the table. He walked back over, Neal glancing at the object in his hand… a taser. Burton walked over to him, holding the taser dangerously close to Neal's chest.

"Whoa, whoa wait!" Neal cried. " Who did I take from you? I didn't even know about you until this case!" Burton stared at him.

"You really don't know, do you?" He asked. Neal shook his head. Burton walked back over to the table, grabbing a picture off of it. "You took her from me!" He yelled, showing Neal a picture of a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. Neal's eyes widen, recognizing the woman instantly.

"Maria Fiametta?" Neal asked. Burton nods.

"Maria, MY Maria! If you would've just given her that bible she wouldn't be in prison right now!"

"Look, Maria is the one who duped me! I gave her the money, but she got greedy and wanted to keep the bible too. She tried to kill me!" Neal said, trying to keep Burton's mind off the taser in his left hand. Neal knew what it felt like to get tased and he didn't want to feel it again.

"No! It's not my Maria's fault! YOU set her up! We were going to get married, until YOU ruined it!" Burton yelled. "And now, you're going to pay." Burton lifted the taser to Neal's chest. "Hurry up and find me already, Peter!" Neal thought as he felt the taser strike his chest and he couldn't help but cry out.


	5. No Leads

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You're all awesome!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Man, I really hate the fact that there is no White Collar on Tuesdays.. Makes my Tuesdays suck. The only thing I had to look forward to on Tuesdays was White Collar. I think it needs to be June 7th already lol! I hope you all enjoy this chap! And please don't forget to review! I really love reading them and would love to know what everyone thinks! Plus, let me know if I've hit the characters' attitudes correctly! Thanks!

Chapter 5: No Leads

It had been 5 hours… 5 hours since Neal had been kidnapped, and they had no leads whatsoever. No leads on who took him, or where he could be. They'd checked the park where Neal was taken from, and only found his cell, and cut anklet. Now was one of those times Peter wished that he would've drove Neal home.

Peter looked at the files sprawled out, covering the entire table in the conference room. They had eliminated some people who would've wanted revenge on Neal, mostly because they were in prison, or dead. They still had a list of about 40 people left, not counting the people who could've wanted to use Neal against them. Peter sighed, covering his head with his hand.

"You okay, Boss?" Diana asked, walking into the conference room, coffee cup in hand. Peter scoffed, looking at her.

"Oh yeah, I'm just peachy. Neal's missing and there are no leads, so of course I'm okay!" Peter snapped.

"Peter-" She began, surprised that Peter had snapped at her like that, he never had before.

"I'm sorry Diana. I didn't mean to snap at you." Peter apologized, taking a deep breath.

"It's okay, Boss. You're just worried about Neal, we all are."

"Do you have any new leads?" He asked, looking up at her.

"No." Peter sighed. "We'll find him Boss, don't worry."

"I hope so."

"I know we will. If anyone can find Caffrey, it's you." Peter looked at her, and smiled.

"That's true." Diana smiled, just as Jones came through the door.

"Peter, Elizabeth is on line 2, she sounds pretty upset." Peter nodded and picked up the phone. He knew it had to be important, if Elizabeth was calling this early in the morning, but he really didn't have time, he _had_ to find Neal.

"El, this isn't-" He began.

"Is Neal with you?" She asked cutting him off. Peter sighed. "Because Mozzie is here, and he's freaking out. He can't reach Neal on his phone. They were supposed to get together at June's after he got done with your case, and Neal didn't show. That's not like him all."

"No, El he's not." He replied, hating that he was about to worry her, and Mozzie even more.

"He's not?" She asked, surprised. "Where is he?"

"He's been kidnapped." He said, causing Elizabeth to gasp.

"Kidnapped?" She asked, sure she had heard him wrong. "What do you mean Kidnapped? He'd better not be talking about Neal!" Peter heard Mozzie yell.

"Yes, late last night. I was on the phone with him when it happened." Elizabeth sighed.

"There's nothing you could've done Peter, you weren't with him." Elizabeth said, knowing full well that her husband was feeling guilty. "Do you have any leads?"

"No. We've narrowed down a list of Neal's enemies, but we still have about 40 more people on the list, not counting our old enemies."

"I know you'll find him hun, you always do." Peter smiled. "Hold on, Mozzie wants to talk to you." Peter heard the phone shuffling. He took a deep breath, he knew Mozzie would probably chew him out."Where was he taken from?" Mozzie asked.

"Central Park, about 5 hours ago."

"I'll check around with my contacts. We have to find him Suit, we _have_ to."

"We will Mozzie, we will." Peter could imagine Mozzie nodding as he hung up. Peter sighed once again, as Jones burst into the conference room, a package in his hand.

"This package just got delivered, it's addressed to you, Peter." He said, putting the package on the table. Huges came inside, seeing Jones running to the conference room, followed by a bunch of other Agents. Peter looked at the package and quickly began opening it. He looked inside, cursing "Damnit" as he saw what was inside.

"What is it Boss?" Diana asked, seeing Peter's reaction, she figured it had something to do with Neal. Peter reached inside the package, pulling out a black fedora, and tossing it on the table. Diana gasped looking at the it.

"That's Neal's blood, isn't it?" She asked seeing the red stain that was on the fedora. Peter looked at her, unable to say anything, his emotions taking over.

"Someone log this as evidence, I want prints off of it! Do anything you have to, we need to find Caffrey, now!" Huges yelled, and the entire room went into hustle mode. Huges looked inside the box, pulling out a piece of paper. "Peter." Peter turned to look at him, seeing the piece of paper and taking it from him. He read it, his face hardening.

"Turn the tv on, right now!" He barked. Diana nodded, quickly grabbing the remote and turning the tv on. They each gasped at what the saw.


	6. Taking a Shot

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You're all awesome!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Sorry it took me soo long to update! I was busy this week and weekend.. IDK if any of you are WWE fans, but if so I went to Monday Night Raw, Monday. It was AWESOME! Okay, so onto the story… Trust me, this chap was worth the wait… Or at least I hope it was lol!

Chapter 6: Taking a Shot

Neal was panting, a pained pant. If he wasn't in so much pain, he would've been embarrassed about it. His chest was burning, he was sure Jim had cracked, if not broken, a few of his ribs. He glanced down at his chest, seeing the burn marks on his shirt from the taser. Burton had tased him until he passed out, which really didn't take that long, but it still hurt like a bitch.

Neal looked around, trying to figure out a way to get out. He glanced down at the shackles on his wrists, and smirked. He was glad that nobody was in the room, as he reached down and grabbed a lock pick from his shoe, which thankfully, nobody checked for. He began quickly unlocking his hands, and then his ankles. The door opened, just as he finished his left leg. He quickly placed the shackles on his wrists, not locking them, as Burton and Jim walked in.

"Ahh Caffrey, you're awake. Now our fun can _really _begin." Burton said as he walked over to his equipment.

"Does it have to? Because I was having _so_ much fun being tased." Neal replied, trying to figure out how to knock them both out. Normally Neal wasn't violent, he hated to be, but he had to, if he wanted to get out alive.

"Of _course_ it has to! I wasn't having nearly enough fun, especially because your little FBI friends weren't able to watch!" Neal glared at him. He knew that Burton had something nasty planned for him, especially since he wanted the FBI to see. He didn't want anyone at the FBI to see what was going to happen, _especially_ Peter. He knew Peter would be blaming himself, and he didn't want him to, because it wasn't his fault. It had been a decent night out, and Neal had insisted on walking home, instead of letting Peter drive him. It was Neal's own fault, not Peter's.

Neal was too busy thinking to see Burton nod to Jim, who flipped a switch, and a red light appeared on the camera as it began transmitting. Neal looked at Burton, figuring maybe if he angered him, he would come over and Neal could take him out with a shackle, and then it would just be 1 on 1. Neal quickly glanced at the table, looking for any instruments they could use to kill him, not seeing any.

"You know Burton, you said that I took Maria from you, but as soon as I met her, she was all over me." Neal said, seeing anger flash across Burton's face. "I even read her palms, she didn't have an engagement ring on her finger."

"Shut up! She knew the FBI would find out about her killing Ignazio, so she took her ring off. She didn't want to get me involved."

"Well you don't listen very well, do you? I mean, what do you think Maria would be thinking right now?""She'd be glad that I'm avenging her! I'm sure she'll be happy to find out that the man who put her in prison, is dead." Neal sucked in a deep breath, it was now or never.

"Did she ever tell you that she kissed me?" Burton's eyes flashed, anger dancing in them.

"She would never-" He began.

"Oh, but she did. I can prove it, it's on a surveillance tape." Burton shook his head.

"No. She-"

"Her lips tasted like Cherry, her chapsitck." Neal added.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you kiss MY Maria!" Burton yelled, venom throughout his voice.

Neal knew he pushed far enough and slipped his cuffs off, grabbing one in his right hand. Burton ran towards him, almost like he was going to clothesline him, when Neal's right hand shot out, clipping him on the side of his head with the cuff. Burton slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Neal stood hunching a little, knocking the shackles off of his ankles. Jim looked at him, shock written on his face. Neal turned to face him.

"You'll pay for that." Jim growled.

"Bring it on." Neal said, wishing that the FBI would have sprung for training for him.

Jim rushed at Neal, who moved to the side. Jim came back, hitting him in his side. Neal gasped grabbing his already aching ribs, giving Jim an opening. Jim grabbed his neck, putting him into a choke hold. Neal struggled against his grasp wiggling around, but not getting anywhere. He began feeling more light headed than he already was as his oxygen was cut off.

In a desperate attempt to get free, Neal kicked backwards, hoping to hit Jim. He heard Jim gasp and all of sudden he was free. He turned seeing Jim on the ground, holding his jewels ."Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Neal thought. He smirked, catching his breath and walking towards the exit. He was so concentrated on the exit, that he didn't see Burton stand, raising a gun. He heard a loud bang, immediately feeling a fire burning pain in his side. He looked at the camera, transmitting to the FBI, a look of shock and pain on his face. "Peter." He whispered, and fell to the ground.


	7. A Warehouse

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! Love you all!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness or ever.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: What's on the Video is in Italics! Longish Chappie! Enjoy!

Chapter 7: A Warehouse

They watched as the television flared to life. The first thing they saw was Neal, shackled to a chair, bruises on his face and slightly hunched over. His shirt had a few holes in it, and it looked as if it had blackish marks around the holes. The next thing they saw was a man they all recognized as Shawn Burton, the man who Peter and Neal had just put in jail.

"Burton? How the hell did he escape? And how come nobody notified us?" Peter barked, anger radiating off of him.

"Because according to the jail, he's in there." Agent Weston replied, looking at Burton's file.

"How could they not notice he's missing? Call them and let them know, and then let them know they've got an ass kicking coming." Hughes said. Agent Weston nodded, quickly heading out of the room.

Peter was too busy watching Neal to notice Weston, leaving the room. He could see the spark in Neal's eyes, the one he had when he was when he was up to something.

"_You know Burton, you said that I took Maria from you, but as soon as I met her, she was all over me." Neal said, _each hearing the pain evident in his voice. They watched as anger flashed across Burton's face._ "I even read her palms, and she didn't have an engagement ring on her finger."_

"Who's Maria?" Someone asked, only to be shushed by other on-lookers.

"_Shut up! She knew the FBI would find out about her killing Ignazio, so she took her ring off. She didn't want to get me involved."_

"Ignazio?" Jones asked, thinking back to a case he worked with Agent Cruz. "As in Paul Ignazio? Maria Fiametta killed him, while trying to get that Book of Hours." Hughes nodded.

"Someone get me Fiametta's files." Hughes barked.

"_Well you don't listen very well, do you? I mean, what do you think Maria would be thinking right now?" Neal asked. "She'd be glad that I'm avenging her! I'm sure she'll be happy to find out that the man who put her in prison is dead." _Peter glared at Burton, how dare that SOB threaten Neal. There was no way in hell Peter was letting Burton kill Neal, no way in hell.

"_Did she ever tell you that she kissed me?" Neal asked_. Peter looked at Neal.

"What the hell are you doing Neal? Are you trying to get killed?" Peter asked aloud.

"_She would never-" Burton began._

"_Oh, but she did. I can prove it, it's on a surveillance tape." _They watched as Burton shook his head, each wondering what the hell Neal was doing.

"_No. She-"_

"_Her lips tasted like Cherry, her chapsitck." Neal added_. Burton's face flushed with rage, and Peter knew something was about to happen.

"Neal you idiot!" He yelled, knowing that he couldn't hear him, his worry for Neal increasing ten fold.

"_You son of a bitch! How dare you kiss MY Maria!" Burton yelled. _

They watched as Neal quickly slipped his cuffs off, grabbing one in his right hand. Burton ran towards him, when Neal's right hand shot out, clipping him on the side of his head with the cuff. Burton slumped to the ground, unconscious. Peter smiled watching Neal defend himself, realizing that he could escape now.

Neal stood hunching a little and knocking the shackles off of his ankles. Peter assumed that Burton must've broken or cracked a few of Neal's ribs, which pissed him off even more. The bastard was going down, _hard_.

"_You'll pay for that." _A new voice growled, causing each FBI agent to jump.

"_Bring it on." _Neal replied, as Peter shook his head. He knew Neal didn't fight, and other than what he just saw, he didn't know if he even knew how to.

A big man ran out from what was apparently behind the camera, and rushed at Neal, but Neal moved to the side.

"Neal run! Don't fight him!" Peter yelled, his worry for the young man evident. The big man came back, hitting Neal in the side. Neal gasped grabbing his side, giving the man an opening.

He grabbed Neal's neck, putting him into a choke hold. The horrified Agents watched as Neal struggled against his grasp. They watched as the color in Neal's face drained,. They knew that he was suffocating, and they couldn't do anything but watch and pray that Neal survived.

"Come on Neal." Peter whispered, surprising himself that he even got it out. His emotions were overtaking him, and he couldn't do anything to stop them.

All of a sudden, Neal kicked backwards, hitting the man in his jewels, causing him to drop Neal. They watched as Neal smirked and caught his breath. He walked towards the camera, which Peter assumed was in front of the exit.

The agents saw Burton rise, and pull out a gun.

"Neal, turn around!" Peter pleaded, watching as Neal kept heading towards the camera. Burton raised the gun. "Turn around damnit!"

All of a sudden, there was a loud bang, and Neal stopped walking. He looked at the camera, pain, shock, and fear on his face. They all gasped as they saw blood blossoming on Neal's right side. "Peter." He whispered and fell to the ground.

"NEAL!" Peter yelled, seeing his friend on the ground, semi-conscious. His heart clenched watching as Neal clutched at his side, trying to stop the blood from flowing out of his body.

"Agent Burke, there's a call for you on line 2." An agent, who just came into the conference room, said. She watched as Peter didn't respond. "Agent Burke-"

"Not now!" Huges yelled, watching the tv in horror. He wasn't Caffrey's biggest fan, but he'd helped them out, and he didn't want anything to happen to the young consultant, let alone because of a case _they_ had him work.

"But it's Elizabeth and she's demanding to speak to him, she said it's about Caffrey." Peter looked at the agent and ran to grab the phone, never taking his eyes off of the tv.

"El?" He answered, his voice shaky.

"Peter? What happened?" She asked, immediately sensing something off about her husband. "Is it Neal?"

"Yeah… He uh,-" He cut off watching as Burton walked closer to Neal, who was still clutching his side, his eyes screwed shut in pain. Burton bent over Neal, smirking at his evident pain. He lifted his left leg, kicking Neal in his already bleeding, side. Neal cried out, a horrible cry. Everyone in the conference room cringed, watching him, feeling his pain.

"Oh my God, was that Neal?" El cried, worry throughout her tone. "Moz, Mozzie! Calm down!" She yelled.

"Yes, it was. El, I can't talk right now, I need to find him, _now_." He emphasized.

"That's why I'm calling, Mozzie has some new leads for you." She said. Peter could tell she was on the verge of breaking down, and she that she was trying to keep calm.

"Put him on." Peter urged, trying to not watch, or listen, as Burton kicked Neal once again.

"Suit… tell me that wasn't him." Mozzie pleaded. "Please." Peter sighed.

"It was Mozzie." He answered. "Now what do you have? Anything on a Maria Fiametta or Shawn Burton?" He asked, knowing that he need to find Neal, and if Mozzie could help him find him faster, the more chance Neal had of surviving. Plus, he didn't want to have to tell Mozzie what was happening to his best friend at the moment. "Mozzie!" Peter yelled when he didn't answer. He heard Mozzie take a deep breath.

"Yeah, I got quite a bit on Maria. I uh, I checked around and I know that she tried to kill Neal before, and even though she's in jail I checked on her. She recently bought a warehouse by the harbor."

"Where is the warehouse Mozzie?" Peter asked. He glanced at the screen, just in time to see Neal looking at the camera, a pleading look in his eyes, just as they closed.

Authors Note: Anyone notice the little Psych and Burn Notice shout outs in there? If not, I'll tell ya, Shawn Burton= Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster. And as for Burn Notice, Agent Weston= Burned spy, Michael Weston. Had to do a quick little ad for some of my other fave shows! Lol!


	8. The Promise

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Well I decided to post this a little early! Enjoy! And yes, I know… another Cliffie! Sorry! : )

Chapter 8: The Promise

Neal collapsed to the ground, immediately grasping the bullet wound on his side. He bit his cheek, trying to not cry out at the added pressure on the wound. He took deep breaths, trying to will the pain away. He'd been grazed before, but never full on shot, and the pain was unbearable. He screwed his eyes shut as a new wave of pain crossed over him. All he could hear was his blood pounding in his ears, as Burton approached.

All of a sudden, a new pain, one that felt like a bomb had exploded in his side, radiated through Neal. He opened his mouth, an earsplitting scream escaping his lips. Pain, worse than getting shot, shot throughout Neal, causing him to pant once again. His side was throbbing, and he felt more blood escaping his wound.

Neal took deep breaths, as deep as he could at least, trying to calm down as felt himself going into shock. He knew that if he went into shock, there was no way he was going to survive. He opened his eyes, seeing Burton standing over him, smirking. Neal wanted to smack the smirk off of his face, but found that he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Just as Neal was finally getting his breathing under a little control, pain exploded in his stomach once more. Neal screamed as loud as he could, the pain overbearing. He began coughing, feeling something spilling out of his mouth. He felt tired all of a sudden and glanced up at the camera, silently praying that Peter would find him soon, as his eyes closed.

Burton looked down at Neal, smirking at the dying ex-con. His plan for revenge was almost complete. As soon as Caffrey was dead, he would dump his body outside of the FBI Headquarters. He knew most of the Agents there cared for Caffrey, and he wanted them to feel loss. He wanted to take Caffrey away from them, just as they had taken Maria from him. He knew that Maria would be pissed that he did it but he didn't care, he did it all for her. Once Caffrey was dead, he would find a way to get Maria out of prison, he'd find a way to get her back. Burton was too busy staring at Neal, to see Jim run inside. He rushed over to Burton.

"Shawn, we have to go." Jim said, breathlessly.

"What?" Burton asked, turning to look at Jim. "Why?"

"Cops are coming, I hear sirens." Jim answered, glancing around the room

"How did they find us so fast?" Burton asked, standing up.

"You've been staring at Caffrey for about 15 Minutes now. They must've checked out Maria after we cut the feed."

"Damnit." Burton cursed, looking down at Neal.

"We've got to go, _Now_." Jim urged, hearing the sirens getting closer.

"No. I'm not leaving until Caffrey's dead." Burton replied.

"Fine, put another bullet in him and let's go already!"

"No. He's not getting off that easily, he deserves to suffer for what he did to Maria!" Burton yelled. Jim looked at the door, hearing the sirens right outside.

"Look, he's gonna die anyways! Maria's already in prison, there's no need for you to go to prison too!" Jim grabbed Burton and turned him around. " Brother, please!" He pleaded. Burton looked at him for a second and shook his head.

"No. I'm not leaving until he's dead." Burton replied. He glanced at the door, hearing car doors closing. "Go, get out of here Jim. I'll hold them off.""No Shawn, no." Jim shook his head.

"Promise me something Jim," Jim looked at him. "If anything happens… finish what I started." He said, staring at Jim.

"Shawn-" Jim began.

"Promise me Brother!" Burton yelled. Jim looked at him for a second, and then nodded.

"I promise." Burton smiled."Good, now get out of here!" He yelled, hearing footsteps in the hall. Jim nodded.

"Be careful little brother." Jim said, turning and quickly slipping out of the window.

Burton watched as his brother left out the window. He turned to the door, hearing the sound of a battering ram hitting it. He looked down at Neal, an evil smile spreading across his face.


	9. The Rescue

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Well… as of late I'm having a writer's block, but hopefully it will unblock itself soon lol! Enjoy this chap!

Chapter 9: The Rescue

Peter walked towards the door, the door that was between him and Neal. He turned back, looking for SWAT. He had to wait for them to knock the door down, it was protocol, and it was killing him. He knew that Neal was in there, and that he needed him, and he couldn't get in there until SWAT was ready… Sometimes he really hated following procedure. Peter jumped as a hand grasped his shoulder.

"SWAT is ready, Boss. Let's go get Caffrey." Diana said, smiling at him. Peter nodded and bent down.

"On my mark." He said, looking back at the SWAT team. "Now!" He yelled and SWAT started ramming the door. The door quickly broke down, and Peter, Diana, Jones and SWAT ran in. They quickly saw a figure standing in the room, facing the opposite direction.

" FREEZE! FBI!" Peter yelled, pointing his gun directly at the figure. " Put your hands up and turn around NOW!" The figure slowly turned around, and Diana gasped.

There was Shawn Burton, holding a ghostly pale Neal Caffrey in front of him, a gun pointed to his head.

"One step closer and I'll kill him!" Burton yelled, shoving the barrel of the gun into Neal's temple more.

"Easy Burton, you don't have to do this. Just let Neal go, and we can arrange for you to be in the same prison as Maria." Peter urged. He was staring at Neal, not even sure if the ex-con was still alive or not. Neal was white as a sheet, except for the bruises on his face, and the blood trickling out of his mouth. The burn marks on his shirt were now covered in his blood. Speaking of blood, it was _everywhere_. It caked Neal's shirt and his pants, he looked as if he was lying in it before Burton picked him up. Peter squinted, trying to see if Neal's chest was rising or not, but Burton was too far away.

"NO! You listen to me! If you want your precious Con back, you'll let Maria go!" Burton yelled, maneuvering Neal in his arms.

"Burton, you know we can't do that." Peter said, trying to figure out a way to get Neal out of harms way.

"Boss." Diana hissed. Peter glanced back at her.

"NO! You let Maria go right now, or I will kill him!" Burton yelled.

"I've got a shot." Diana mumbled. Peter nodded slightly, and Diana nodded back.

"All right Burton. We'll let Maria go, just put Neal down and step away from him."

"No! I want Mar-" Burton cut off, as a shot rang out. The bullet lodging itself in the right side of Burton's chest. He collapsed to the ground, taking Neal with him.

"Diana-" Peter began.

"You get Caffrey, I've got Burton." She interrupted.

Peter and Diana ran towards both men. Peter reached them first and pulled Neal off of Burton. He laid Neal down, immediately placing two fingers on his neck. After about 15 seconds, he found a very weak pulse.

"Burton's dead." Diana announced. Peter nodded, wishing he was the one to kill the bastard. He looked down at Neal, realizing that where his chest sound be rising and falling, it wasn't.

"Diana!" He yelled, terror in his voice. She quickly ran over as Peter moved down towards Neal's torso. "CPR Now!" He yelled and she nodded, understanding what that meant. She bent down pinching Neal's nose, and blowing two breaths into his mouth. Peter pushed up and down on Neal's chest. "Come on Neal." He said, as Diana blew 2 more breaths into Neal's mouth. " I own you for 4 years Neal Caffrey, you can't back out now!" He yelled.

"Where's that Ambulance?" Diana yelled.

" 2 minutes out." Jones answered, running over to them. "What can I do?"

"Show the paramedics where to go when they get here, and tell them to hurry!" Diana answered, watching as Peter desperately pushed on Neal's chest. "Come on Neal." She whispered, and breathed 2 more breaths into him.

"Damnit Caffrey! Breathe!" Peter pleaded, and as if Neal heard him, he took a shuddering breath. Peter and Diana let out a breath, as Neal began coughing, more blood coming out of his mouth. "Easy Neal, take it easy. You're safe now." Neal looked up at him, relief in his eyes as they closed. "Neal!" Peter yelled, grabbing Neal's wrist and making sure he was still breathing, which he was.

"Ambulance is here!" Jones yelled.

The paramedics quickly ran in, and Peter and Diana moved aside. They began working on Neal, quickly placing him on a gurney and hooking up an IV. Peter tried to watch, but they were moving to fast for him to see everything.

"All right, let's go!" One paramedic yelled, and they began pushing the gurney towards the ambulance. They quickly loaded Neal into the ambulance.

"Wait, I'm riding with him." Peter said, trying to get in.

"I'm sorry sir, you can't." The female paramedic replied.

"Look, I'm Agent Peter Burke, and this is my partner. Now, I'm riding with him." He said, he knew that the paramedic was just doing her job, but she didn't understand… He _needed_ to go with Neal, to make sure that he was okay.

"Look, Agent Burke, I know you're worried about him, but you can't go." Peter was about to protest, when she cut him off. "If you want him to get to the hospital alive, you can't come." She said, and as if to prove her point, the monitors began to flat-line.

"NEAL!" Peter yelled as the paramedic closed the doors, yelling . "Let's go Jerry, NOW!"


	10. There is no IF

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Okay, So 1st off… I don't know any doctor terminology, so If I'm wrong I'm sorry! And I finished writing this last night, so I'm going to be posting the rest of the chapters this week. I'll probably be mean, and only do one a day, or ever other day, especially since this week is going to be a little hectic. There is 15 chapters total so 5 more after this! Enjoy everyone!

Chapter 10: There is no IF

Peter sat in the passengers seat of Diana's car as it raced to the hospital. He sighed, every time he closed his eyes, he saw Neal flat-lining. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the image out of his head. "He's going to be fine, he's Neal." He kept telling himself. "Of course, he's not fine now." He thought, glancing upward. He heard the sirens in the distance. "At least he's still alive, they wouldn't be using sirens if he wasn't."

"He'll be okay Boss." Diana said, glancing over at Peter. Peter looked at her and nodded. Diana knew how worried Peter was for the ex-con, she was worried too. She hadn't really known Neal all that well, until the night that they stayed at the hotel. They had bonded, definitely not in the way Neal had wanted them to, but bonded nonetheless.

They quickly pulled into the hospital's parking lot, not seeing the ambulance Neal was in. They found a parking spot and got out, heading into the hospital. Once they were inside they went up to the reception desk, the receptionist being on the phone. She glanced up at them.

"One second please." She said, and continued talking on the phone. Peter looked at her, wanting to tell her to get the hell off of the phone, but decided against it. After about three minutes she hung up and looked at them.

" Hi, I'm Amy. What can I do for you?" She asked, smiling up at them.

"I'm Special Agent Peter Burke, and we're here to see Neal Caffrey. He was just brought in." Peter said, holding out his badge to her. Amy looked at his badge and began typing on her computer.

"Mr. Caffrey is in surgery right now Agent Burke. You and-" She cut off looking at Diana.

"Agent Diana Barragian." Diana said, holding out her badge.

"Agent Barragian can wait over there," She said pointing towards the waiting area. "And once Mr. Caffrey's doctor comes out, I'll send him over to you." They nodded, and headed towards the uncomfortable looking white chairs. Peter turned around, walking back over to Amy.

"Is there anything you can tell me about his condition?" Amy sighed.

"All I know is that Mr. Caffrey had lost a lot of blood and had a gunshot wound to the abdomen. His doctor will be able to tell you more, I'm sorry." Peter took a deep breath and nodded.

"Thanks." He said and walked over to Diana, who was already sitting down.

"Anything?" She asked as Peter sat down next to her. He shook his head.

"No. Nothing that we didn't already know." Peter sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"You should call El and Mozzie, let them know what's going on. I'm sure they're worried sick." Peter nodded and grabbed his cell out of his pocket. He took a deep breath and dialed home.

"Peter? Did you get him?" Elizabeth asked, immediately answering the phone.

"We got him El." He answered and heard her let out a breath.

"Good. How's he doing?"

"Not good El. We're at the hospital right now, he's in surgery."

"I'll be right there." She said, and Peter could hear her moving.

"El-"

"No Peter, I'm coming and you can't change my mind. You and Neal need me." Peter smiled, knowing that he did need her, and how much he loved her stubbornness.

"Okay, see you in a few." He said, and hung up.

Four hours later….

Elizabeth showed up, not even a half an hour after Peter called. She quickly ran into her husband's arms and hugged him, knowing that he really need comforting, they both did. They sat and waited, and waited. Every time a doctor came out of the ER, they all looked at them, watching as they went to different people.

They were all sitting down, quietly talking, when a tall male doctor dressed in scrubs came over to them.

"Neal Caffrey?" He asked, and they all quickly stood.

"How is he?" Elizabeth asked, beating Peter to the question.

"Mr. Caffrey is stable," Elizabeth let out a breath of relief. "but, he isn't out of the woods yet. He's suffered a lot of physical trauma. It looked as if he was beaten in the face and the chest area, and tased quite a few times. He has a mildly severe concussion, four broken ribs, three on the right side, one on the left. There are a few lacerations on his face from the beatings as well." He explained, trying to not look at everyone as they listened to his words. " The bullet nicked his right lung, which caused him to lose a lot of blood. We also noticed that the area around the bullet wound was heavily beaten as well, which caused his lung to collapse. He, as I'm sure you're aware of, flat-lined in the ambulance, luckily we got him back, and didn't have it happen again, so there is little chance of brain damage." Elizabeth gasped.

"Brain damage?" Peter asked, not being able to comprehend Neal having brain damage.

"Yes. The oxygen to his brain was cut off, but it wasn't for too long, so he shouldn't have any, but it is possible." The doctor replied.

"Now, we've done surgery to repair Mr. Caffrey's lung, and we got it quick enough that it should be fine. We put him on a respirator to help him breathe, until it heals more. We've taped up his ribs and put a few stitches in the laceration on the back of his head. Right now, he's Critical Care. We will know more about his condition when he wakes up, _if _he wakes up." He said, warily.

"What do you mean, _if_?" Peter asked, anger in his voice. There was no way Neal wasn't waking up, _no way in hell._

"Well, with all the trauma Mr. Caffrey has suffered, he might not _want_ to wake up."

"Oh he'll wake up Doc, trust me, my husband won't give him any other option." Elizabeth said, looking at Peter. The doctor looked at Peter, seeing the fire blazing in his eyes, and nodded.

"Well you can go and see him if you'd like, but if for any reason we need you out, you have to leave, no protesting." They all nodded. "All right, he's in Room 215. I'll be in later on to check on him." He said, and walked away.

Peter looked at Diana and Elizabeth. "Let's go see our boy." Diana said, smiling.


	11. Lifeless

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Hi! I hope that everyone had an amazing Easter! Here's the next chappie!

Chapter 11: Lifeless

They all walked towards Neal's room, stopping at the door. Peter turned to face Diana and Elizabeth. There was a quiet buzzing and Diana looked down at her pocket, grabbing her cell and answering it.

"Barragian." She answered, and nodded looking at Peter. "You guys go in, I'll be in, in a few." She said. Peter looked at Elizabeth. She nodded at him, and he took a deep breath and opened the door.

The sterile smell of the room immediately hit Peter's nose, along with the sound of the beeping heart monitor, and the whooshing sound of the respirator. Peter walked inside, followed closely by Elizabeth. They came closer to Neal's bedside and stopped, frozen by what they saw.

Neal was lying in the hospital bed, the respirator over his face, helping him breathe. He also had tons of iv's running in and out of his body. He looked so tiny and pale, aside from the bruises covering his face. The only proof they had that Neal was still alive was the heart monitor, steadily beeping.

"Oh my God, Neal…" Elizabeth whispered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, she hadn't expected him to be as bad as he was. She turned to face Peter, tears in her eyes. "Ho-how could anyone do this to him?" She asked, her voice cracking as her tears fell. Peter looked at her, his own eyes misty, and grabbed a hold of her as she broke down.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth calmed down enough to let go of Peter. She walked over to Neal's bedside and grabbed a hold of his hand. Peter walked up beside her, grasping her other hand in his.

"You got the guy that did this, right?" She asked, fire in her voice.

"We got one of them… Jones and half the FBI is out looking for the other one." Peter replied, looking down at Neal. He had to look away, he couldn't stand to see him so still, so _lifeless._ This wasn't how Neal was supposed to be.. He was supposed to be driving Peter insane, trying to change the radio station in his car, not lying in a hospital bed, in a coma.

Peter heard the door close behind him, and turned around, seeing Diana walk in the room. She walked over to them, her eyes widening at the sight of Neal. He watched as she blinked back her tears. She turned away from Neal, and looked at Peter.

"That was Jones, they haven't caught Jim Burton yet. They've had a few leads but they all turned out to be dead ends." Peter nodded. "I'm going to go back to HQ and try to find him." Peter was about to say something when Diana cut him off. "Don't worry, when I find him, and I _will_ find him. I'll call and let you know." Peter nodded.

"Thanks Diana, and good luck." She nodded, glancing back at Neal.

"Call me, if, you know.." She began.

"I will, don't worry." She nodded once again, and headed out the door.

Peter walked over to the window, looking out it, sighing. He turned around, hearing something scraping on the floor. Elizabeth had moved two chairs over by Neal's bed, and was sitting down, holding his hand in hers. Peter walked over and sat down next to her. He looked at her, seeing the tears that were falling down her face.

"We're here Neal when you're ready to join us."


	12. The Anklet

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Hi! Here's the next chappie! I hope you all enjoy it! And sorry, but yes, there is a Cliffie! Only a few chaps left!

Chapter 12: The Anklet

It had been three days since Neal had been brought into the ER. Well if you want to get technical, four nights and three days. During that time, Jones and Diana had come by, each wanting to see for themselves how Neal was doing, and to bring Peter and Elizabeth clothes. They had never left, neither wanting to. They wanted to be there for Neal when he woke up, not _if_ but _when_. The doctor, who's name they found out was Damon Carmichael, had told them that Neal was getting better. He even took the respirator out, saying that Neal should be waking up at anytime.

Peter was looking out the window, something he'd been doing a lot of, when there was a knock on the door. He turned around, seeing Hughes walk inside, a bag in his hand.

"Reese." Peter said, shaking his hand. Hughes nodded and looked over at Neal.

"No change?" Peter shook his head.

"Doctor Carmichael said that he should be waking up anytime now." "Good. Where's El?" He asked, looking around the room.

"She went to get some coffee." Hughes nodded. "Any news on Burton?"

"No, we still haven't found him. We've got everyone looking for him though."

Peter nodded. "What's in the bag?" Hughes took a deep breath. He opened the bag and reached in, pulling out a tracking anklet. "You've got to be kidding."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not." "He's in a coma! He's not going to be running anywhere!" Peter yelled.

"Yes, but he'll be waking up soon, and he could want to run."

"This is ridiculous." Peter said, shaking his head. "No. I won't put it on him."

"_You_ don't have to." Hughes said and walked over to Neal's bedside. He lifted the blanket and placed the tracker on Neal's ankle.

"Reese, you can't do this." Peter protested.

"I have no choice, Peter." He said, walking back over to him. "I'm sorry, but it had to be done." Peter shook his head.

"Reese, I think you should leave." Hughes looked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You just put a _tracking anklet_ on a man in a _coma. _You obviously don't trust him, after _everything_ that he's done for us."

"Burke." Hughes said, his tone a warning.

" I'll let Diana or Jones know when Neal wakes up." Peter said and turned away from Hughes, scowling. Hughes huffed and shook his head. He left, just as Elizabeth came back in, carrying two coffee cups. She walked over to Peter, glancing at Neal along the way.

"What did Reese want? He looked pretty mad." She said, handing a cup to Peter.

"He put an anklet on Neal." Elizabeth's mouth dropped open.

"What?" She asked, overly confused. "Why?"

"He said since Neal will be waking up soon, he'll want to run. Said, he didn't have a choice." Peter spat, still angry with him.

"I can't believe he did that… Neal isn't going to run, he wouldn't-" Elizabeth said, shaking her head.

"I know hun, I know." Peter sighed, looking over at the young CI. There was a knock at the door, and a doctor, dressed head to toe in scrubs came in. Elizabeth and Peter turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you two to wait in the lobby, I need to do a thorough check over on Mr. Caffrey." The doctor said.

"Okay… Where's doctor Carmichael?" Peter asked, a little wary of the doctor.

"He's in a surgery right now. I'm doctor Dean, and I'll be the one doing Mr. Caffrey's check-up today."

"Okay." Elizabeth said, looking at Peter. "Let's go get some lunch, I'm starving." Peter nodded.

"Okay. Make sure to let us know if anything changes." Dr. Dean nodded. Peter and Elizabeth headed to the door, each glancing at Neal before they left.

"We'll be right back, buddy." Peter said and closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, and the doctor was sure that the Burke's were gone, he took the scrubs off of his face and grinned a maniacal grin.


	13. Awake

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: So I don't know if anyone caught it, but in the last chap, when I named Neal's Dr, Doctor Damon Carmichael.. It was for 2 of my other fave shows… Damon after Damon Salvatore of the Vampire Diaries.. ( I Love Ian Somerhalder!) And Carmichael after Charles Carmichael aka Chuck Bartowski of Chuck. Figured I'd slip it in there! :D

Chapter 13: Awake

Neal felt numb, wandering around the endless darkness. Everywhere he looked, was darkness. It wasn't always dark, there used to be light, and even a few memories played out inside his head. It was freaking him out a little.

He could remember Peter telling him to take it easy, and then the pain hit. He felt as if his body was being electrocuted, and then he fell back into the blissful darkness.

He had heard voices too, telling him that they were there for him, that they needed him to do something, he just couldn't remember what. He'd heard them get louder, what seemed like a while later, Neal couldn't really tell. Now, he could've swore that he felt something on his leg. He looked down at it, not seeing anything.

"We'll be right back, buddy." He heard and looked around, recognizing the voice.

"Peter?" He said and gasped. All of a sudden pain hit him, harder than anything he'd felt before. His lungs felt as if they were on fire, burning his insides. He began hearing a loud beeping noise, and someone yelling at him.

"Calm down you fool!" He heard. Neal tried to calm down, trying to breathe as the fire in his lungs calmed a little, wondering why he was listening to someone who was yelling at him. Maybe Peter was mad at him, he mused. It wouldn't surprise him, Peter was always yelling at him for something or the other. Then, as if he was hit by a truck, Neal remembered. He remembered being kidnapped, tortured and shot. He glanced down at his body, only to notice that it wasn't there, and that there was a light beginning to shine in his eyes. He tried to move his arms to block his eyes, only he couldn't. He felt his body moving, moving towards the light.

"No!" He thought, "I don't want to die!" He tried to stop heading towards the light, but it kept coming. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Neal heard someone grumbling, mumbling something. "Stupid brother, stupid Con. Why did I agree to do this again?" He felt his body being picked up, and roughly thrown onto something.

Neal tried to open his eyes, finding it hard. He began freaking out a little, he didn't understand why it was so hard to open them. "Come on, open." He thought. "Open!" His eyes opened a little, and he closed them again, only seeing blurry things. He opened them again, this time he could actually see.

Neal saw himself being wheeled down a corridor, in what looked like a hospital. He saw a lot of nurses walking around, each nodding towards him, or at least he thought they were nodding to him. All of a sudden he was wheeled to the left, and he noticed that he was heading to the parking lot. He wondered why he was going out there, he was pretty sure that he wasn't ready to leave the hospital yet. Hell, he knew he wasn't. His chest was burning, and aching, and he just felt so tired. He came to an abrupt stop, fully awake now as he tried in vain to stop himself from falling to the ground.

Neal felt himself being flipped over. He opened his eyes, and saw a doctor looking at him. He opened his mouth, to ask what was going on, but no sound came out.

"You're awake I see. Good, I was afraid you'd die while in a coma." The doctor said. Neal looked at him, overly confused. "Don't recognize me, Caffrey?" The doctor dropped the scrubs off of his face. Neal's eyes got wide, instantly recognizing him. "Yep, I'm back Caffrey." Jim Burton said, reaching behind his back. Neal looked at him, watching his hand.

"I'm sure you don't know this, since you've been in a coma and all, but you're little FBI friends _killed_ my brother!" Jim said, fire in his words. "I promised my brother that if anything happened to him, I'd finish the job." Neal's eyes got wider. "Now when I thought my brother was just going to jail, I wasn't going to kill you… But now that they KILLED him… Well, you understand." Jim said, pulling a gun out from the back of his pants. Neal tried to move, but found that he couldn't even move his fingers.

"Oh, don't think you can escape this time. Nobody is coming for you, and I knew you were in a coma, but I decided I'd better give you something to keep you from moving, in case you did wake up." Jim grinned. "And now Neal Caffrey, this is goodbye." Jim said and raised the gun up. Neal closed his eyes, not wanting to see the smirk on Jim's face. He heard the loud report of the gun, and felt fire burning pain.


	14. Dead

Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed! You make my day!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's.

Authors Note: Okay, here's another Plug for another of my fave shows, Dr Dean, as in Dean Winchester of Supernatural. LOVE Jensen Ackles sooo much! I have a lot of fave shows if you can't tell lol! PS, once again I'm no doctor, so I don't know if this could happen, it's just my assumption, so bear with me.

Chapter 14: Dead

Peter and Elizabeth were walking towards the kitchen, Peter not being able to shake the uneasy feeling he'd had since Dr. Dean had came into Neal's room.

"What's the matter?" Elizabeth asked, sensing her husband's distress.

"Nothing, it's nothing." He replied, shaking his head.

"Come on, tell me."

"I just, I have a bad feeling about that doctor, Dr. Dean." He admitted.

"Why?"

"It just doesn't feel right. Dr. Carmichael has been taking care of Neal ever since he came in. Why would he send some new doctor, now?"

"Well Dr. Dean said that Dr. Carmichael was in surgery. Do you think we should go check on Neal?" She asked, knowing that normally her husband's instincts were good. Peter shook his head.

"No, not yet. We'll get something to eat and take it back to Neal's room." Elizabeth nodded as they entered the kitchen. They got in line.

"Hey guys." A voice from behind them said. They turned around, seeing Dr. Carmichael standing behind them. "I'm going to eat lunch, and then I'll check in on Neal."

"Dr. Carmichael, I thought you were in surgery?" Elizabeth asked, fear creeping into her mind.

"No, I don't have a surgery scheduled all day. Where did you hear that?" He asked, confused. Elizabeth looked at Peter, her eyes wide. He takes off running towards Neal's room, grabbing his gun out of it's holster. "What's going on?"

"A doctor came into Neal's room saying that you were in surgery and needed us out of the room to check over Neal." Elizabeth said, glancing back where her husband had just ran. "I'm sorry but I have to go." She said and ran towards Neal's room.

Peter made it to Neal's room. He put his ear to the door, trying to hear if anyone was in the room. He slowly opened the door, not hearing anyone. He held his gun out in front of him, ready to shoot, as he walked in. He saw the empty bed, and cursed.

"Damnit!" He yelled, as Elizabeth ran in.

"Where's Neal?" She asked, and Peter shook his head. Dr. Carmichael ran in behind her. He saw the empty bed and cursed.

"We need to find him now. If his lung is under too much stress, it could collapse again." Elizabeth gasped, looking at him. Peter was looking around the room, searching for any signs of where they could've went. "This hospital has security cameras right?" Dr. Carmichael nodded.

"Wait, Peter, the anklet!" Elizabeth said, remembering that Reese put it on him. Peter nodded, immediately pulling his cell out and dialing the Marshall's.

"Why does he have an anklet?" Dr. Carmichael asked Elizabeth as Peter talked to the Marshall's.

"Neal used to be a master forger, but he's working for the FBI now. He's helped them solve a lot of cases, and he's not a bad guy. He did everything he did for love." She explained. Dr. Carmichael nodded, understanding that love made people do crazy things.

"He's in the parking lot. El call Jones and Diana and tell them to get here quick!" Peter yelled, running out of the room. Elizabeth nodded and called them.

Peter was almost to the parking lot, when he realized that he was being followed. He glanced behind him, seeing Dr. Carmichael running after him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, not stopping.

"I'm going with you. My patient needs me." He said.

"You need to stay here, you're a civilian." Peter said, slowing down, since he could see the parking lot now.

"I don't care. Neal is going to need me." He said, and Peter nodded, not wanting to waste time arguing with him, since he knew that he wasn't going to budge.

Peter and Dr. Carmichael crouched behind a car, Peter peeking around the side of it, hearing someone talking. "Now when I thought my brother was just going to jail, I wasn't going to kill you… But now that they KILLED him… Well, you understand." He heard, and instantly recognized Jim Burton's voice. He realized Jim must've changed his voice when he talked to them earlier in Neal's room. He saw Jim standing over Neal, who was laying on the ground, looking up at Burton, who was also holding a gun over Neal's chest.

"Neal's awake." Peter said, turning towards Dr. Carmichael, who nodded.

"What a great thing to wake up to." Peter scowled and turned back to look at Jim. He raised his gun up, lining up Jim in his sight.

"Oh, don't think you can escape this time. Nobody is coming for you, and I knew you were in a coma, but I decided I'd better give you something to keep you from moving, in case you did wake up. And now Neal Caffrey, this is goodbye." He heard Jim say, and saw Neal close his eyes. Peter took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

Peter watched as Jim fell over, on top of Neal. "Neal!" He yelled and he and Dr. Carmichael ran over to them. Peter looked at Jim, seeing the bullet hole in the back of his chest, and kicked him off of Neal. He bent down, seeing Neal's eyes closed.

"Neal, can you hear me?" He asked, moving over as Dr. Carmichael began checking Neal over.

"Damnit." Dr. Carmichael cursed.

"What?" Peter asked, alarmed at his tone.

"His pulse is erratic, if we don't get him calm, his lung is going to collapse again."

"Neal." Peter said, looking at the unconscious young man. "Come on Neal, you're safe now." He grabbed onto Neal's hand. "It's okay buddy, I've got you." Neal slowly opened his eyes, looking at Peter. Peter could see the relief in his eyes. "Hey. I need you to listen to me okay?" He waited for Neal to nod or something. Neal blinked twice, and he took that as a yes. "You need to calm down, you're lung can't handle the pressure. You're safe now, I got Jim." Neal looked at him and blinked twice.

"That's it." Dr. Carmichael said, nodding. "His pulse is good now." He looked at the wheelchair. "We need to get him back inside. Help me put him in the chair." Peter looked at the wheelchair and nodded.

"Neal, this is Dr. Carmichael, and he's been your doctor. We're going to put you into the wheelchair now, okay?" Neal blinked twice, and he braced himself for the pain that he knew was going to come.

They slowly picked Neal up, trying to be as careful as they could, knowing that no matter what they did, it was going to hurt him. He winced and bit the inside of his cheek at the pain that shot throughout his body. They sat him in the wheelchair and wheeled him back into the hospital. By the time they got back to Neal's room, Elizabeth called and said that Jones and Diana found Jim, and told them that he was dead.

They came into the room and Elizabeth ran over to them, seeing Neal awake.

"Neal! Thank God!" She said, gently hugging him. She looked at him, wondering why he didn't hug her back.

"We need to get him into the bed, and hooked back up." Dr. Carmichael said. Peter nodded and he and Dr. Carmichael picked Neal up and placed him on the bed. He began hooking Neal back up to his iv's, and monitors. He quickly checked Neal over once again.

"Neal, can you move?" He asked. Neal blinked once. "Damnit." "What?" Elizabeth asked.

"He must've been given something. I'll be right back." He said and left the room. Elizabeth walked over to Neal, who looked like he was almost asleep.

"I'm so glad you're safe Neal." She said and kissed his forehead. He looked up at her and closed his eyes. Dr. Carmichael came back in, two more iv bags in his hands.

"What are those?" Peter asked, eyeing the bags.

"Pain medication, and an anti-viral to help Neal move again." Peter nodded as Dr. Carmichael hooked up the iv's. He glanced at Neal, who was already asleep. " Now the pain medication will make him sleep, so let him rest, and he'll wake up when he's ready. I'll be back in a little bit to check on him, I have to go fill out a report I guess. One of your co-workers, Agent Barragian I think, asked me to." Peter nodded as Dr. Carmichael left the room. Elizabeth looked at him."He's finally safe." She said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, he is."

1 more chap left!


	15. Back To Normal

_Thanks everyone who's story alerted or favorited or reviewed!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from White Collar. None what so ever, no likeness, nothing.. Sadly.. That right belongs to the shows amazing creator Jeff Eastin! But I do own my OC's. _

_Authors Note: Well Here it is.. The Final Chapter! I want to say thank you all SOOO much for reading and reviewing! I love each and every one of ya! Thanks again! Enjoy!_

_Chapter 15: Back to Normal_

_This time when Neal woke up, he found out it wasn't as hard. His eyes opened easily, and his chest didn't burn, it just ached. He looked around, hearing someone snoring. He saw Elizabeth sleeping in a chair about, three feet from him, her hand resting on top of his. He smiled, and rubbed her hand. Her snore cut off, and she woke up, lazily looking at him. She saw his eyes open and smiled._

"_Neal!" She exclaimed, getting up and hugging him._

"_Hey El." He rasped out, wincing. _

"_Oh yeah, you're throat is probably raw, you had a respirator helping you breathe. Do you want some ice chips?" Neal nodded and she grabbed a cup off of the table. She grabbed a spoonful and held it up to his mouth. _

"_I can do it myself El." He rasped. Elizabeth glared at him. "Okay." He conceded and she smiled, stuffing the chips into his mouth. Neal gratefully sucked on them and swallowed._

"_Better?" She asked, and he nodded._

"_Where's Peter?" He asked, sucking on another mouthful of ice._

"_He's at HQ, he had to fill out a report on Jim Burton." She replied, and wished she hadn't when she saw Neal's eyes widen a little. "He's dead." Neal looked at her._

"_Wh-what?" He stuttered, not believing her. He remembered Jim standing over him, holding a gun to his chest and then him falling over on top of him._

"_Yeah, Peter shot him, and he died." Neal nodded. "Speaking of Peter, I should call him, he wanted to know the second you were awake." She said, and pulled her cell out, quickly dialing Peter. Neal stared at her, as she talked to Peter. "Hey Hun, Neal's awake. Yep. Okay, see you soon." She said and hung up. "He'll be here soon, he just got done talking to Hughes.""Why is he talking to Hughes, is he in trouble?" Neal asked, hoping that Peter wasn't in trouble for killing Jim, just to save his life. Elizabeth took a deep breath._

"_Kinda. While you were still in a coma, Hughes came and put your anklet on you." Neal looked down at his left leg, seeing the anklet. "Peter was furious, and told him to leave.""What?" Neal asked, sure he'd heard her wrong. _

"_Yeah. He was so mad that he did that to you. It wasn't just the fact that you were in a coma, that angered him quite a bit, but it was the fact that Hughes thought you were going to run once you woke up, that he didn't trust you." Neal looked at her. He'd honestly not even thought about running for quite a while. He was enjoying his life at the present moment, well not at this exact_ moment. Elizabeth noticed Neal was in deep thought. "Don't worry Neal, we know you wouldn't run." She smiled, and Neal smiled back.

"How long was I in a coma?" He asked."Almost four days. After you were kidnapped by Jim, you went back to sleep, but you just slept through the night." Neal nodded, soaking up the information. "Oh! I just remembered. Mozzie sends his love, but he wouldn't come. He said that going into a government run-"

"Building is a way for the man to get you." Neal finished and smiled. "Yeah, that's Moz for you." Elizabeth laughed as the door to Neal's room opened and Peter walked in.

"Hi Hun." Elizabeth said, kissing Peter as he walked over to them. "Hey Hunny. Glad you decided to join the land of the living there, Neal." He said looking at Neal.

"Yeah, I figured I'd leave the land of the living to you guys for a little bit." Neal quipped.

"Don't ever do it again." Peter said, and Neal looked at him.

"Were you worried about me, Peter?" He asked, a little teasingly. Peter looked at him, and opened and closed his mouth.

"Of course he was! We BOTH were! Don't you ever scare us like that again, you hear me Neal Caffrey?" Elizabeth yelled, causing Neal to move backwards, and wince at the pain that shot through his ribs. "Oh, sorry!" She apologized.

"It's okay… And yeah, I understand." He replied, rubbing his ribcage.

"You've got four broken ones, three on the right side, and one on the left. And of course, there's the bullet wound." Peter said, knowing Elizabeth probably didn't tell him what was going on with him.

"Yeah, I knew about the bullet wound, and I figured that Jim broke a few of my ribs." He looked up at Peter. "I know that you killed Jim, he told me that Shawn was too, is that true?" Peter nodded.

"Yeah, Diana shot him." Neal smiled.

"Bet she enjoyed it." Peter nodded.

"Yeah, she did.""Hey, Peter…" Neal began. "Thanks for, you know.. Saving my life, and for sticking up for me with Hughes." Peter smiled.

"Anytime Buddy, anytime." Neal smiled.

One Week Later… Burke Household

Neal was released from the hospital three days after his ordeal with Jim Burton. He was going to go home, but Elizabeth had insisted on him staying at their house, and with her being as stubborn as she was, there was no way Neal was going to win.

The first two days that he was there, he mostly slept, only getting up to eat, use the bathroom, and shower. Now he was getting more energy and was mostly back to normal, except for the pain from his ribs and the bullet hole.

"This is torture!" Neal yelled, and winced, immediately grabbing his ribs.

"Neal! Don't yell, you know that's not good for your ribs!" Elizabeth scolded him.

"Serves him right." Peter said, scowling at Neal.

"Peter!" Elizabeth yelled.

"Well he shouldn't be saying that! This is _not_ torture." Peter argued.

"Yes it is! How can you sit here and watch this El? You can't tell me that you actually _like_ to watch this?"

"What are you talking about Neal? El loves watching the game with me." Neal shook his head.

"Come on El, tell him, this is torture!" Neal argued. Elizabeth smiled.

"You know what Caffrey? You're a guest in _my_ house, so we watch _my_ game, on _my_ tv!" Elizabeth chuckled, listening to them continue to bicker. She knew that everything would be fine, that everything was getting back to being normal. She knew that Neal was getting back to being himself, but he still needed time to heal, but he would be just fine. "Damnit Caffrey! If you don't give me back my remote, I'll throw you back in prison!" She heard Peter yell. That is, if Peter didn't kill him first.

The End


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